burning like smoke and fire
by Seph Meadowes
Summary: "You're still Hugo, no matter what your last name is." Hugo knew exactly who he was until he didn't. Believing in the wrong things can be catastrophic. Names have power.
Hugo Halley Weasley was born almost a whole month early on the 26th of February, a birthday shared with Victor Hugo. He was named, thus, after the famous man as his dad preferred 'Hugo' over 'Victor' and it would be years till the reason for this was revealed. His maternal grandparents approved, especially his French grandmother, Hélène. And his paternal grandparents were happy for another grandchild to add to their ever growing brood.

When he asked his mother about his middle name, she smiled at him with her soft, dark doe eyes – ones she passed on to him and his sister – as she explained, "After the world's most famous comet."

He asked why again.

"Because you surprised me," She patted his nose. "My Comet Halley."

* * *

Hugo's first experience of accidental magic was at the age of seven. He was at the Burrow for the birthday party of one of his numerous cousins and they were playing games in the large backyard when James told him that his hair looked like mud. And in a way, his terrible cousin was right. While his cousins had hair of sunsets consisting of reds, oranges and yellows, Hugo's was a dark, earthy brown to match his dark eyes.

Only Lucy's hair came close to him. And he wanted so badly to have hair like his dad, the same shade as his Cannons jumpers. It wasn't fair that only Rosie inherited it. He wished so hard and his cousins gasped when his hair turned from brown to orangey-red.

Teddy, with his arm around Victoire, stopped to laugh in delight.

"Wow," He said. "You can do that trick too, Hugo?"

Hugo tried to pull down the bright stands and see the Weasley red.

Teddy changed his hair to match and winked at him, "Now, we both look like we belong."

Hugo will never forget the look on his dad's face when he saw his hair, when he ruffled it affectionately and called him "a perfect mini-me".

* * *

He would have nightmares for years, something he would keep from other people for a long time. When he was younger, his father would shake them off as normal something like "all kids get scared of everything". What his father didn't know was _why_ the dreams scared him so much. Only his mother knew about them and she would come into his room, sit on his bed and stroke his hair as he would tell her about the near constant nightmares.

The world was on fire and he would walk through the destruction, unharmed. He felt powerful and invincible as if he'd caused it all. He felt like a god. And there was that deep, rumbling voice that would laugh and call him "a stupid, foolish boy" like what he had done was deficient.

"What are they about, mum?"

He asked this with the hope of a child who expected their parents to be able to fix everything. Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley was no ordinary parent, she was the brightest of her age, and she could do anything. He would remember never feeling so afraid at her answer. The illusions of childhood were slowly being peeled off earlier than he was ready.

"I don't know, Hugo," His lovely mother had never looked so sad and tired. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

He always liked Lucy, as far as he could remember. She was born on the 8th of August and was a quiet and easy baby according to everyone. She was one of his cousins that were his age along with Lily but while Lily was a constantly moving body, curious about everything, dragging them from one adventure to the next, Lucy was steady and reliable. Lily made them dig up the bodies of small animals to examine how they would decompose and sneak into the Burrow's attic to look through discarded mementos while Lucy would read her books aloud to him by the fireplace in her calm, soothing voice and lie down on the grass with him so they could see shapes in the clouds.

The two girls would both grow up to be beautiful but in different ways. Lily was as lovely as her name, her deep red hair and green eyes making her appear as some enchanting changeling. Lucy was a soft and delicate being with red wine hair and big, pale blue eyes. Her wind-chafed skin and small hands he could break so easily with his reckless hands.

He would think of one constantly and the other like he would his sister. He'd let Lily pick what game they would play to make her happy. And sometimes, he would wish she wasn't there. He just wanted to hear Lucy talk and talk as the world continued to spin.

Rosie and Albus left for their First Year at Hogwarts and Hugo wanted to sneak unto the Hogwarts Express when they dropped off his sister. His father made a joke about the son of a man named Draco Malfoy and he could see his mother stiffen slightly beside him. However, she recovered quickly and light admonished her husband for his behavior. He looked across the station to where 'Draco Malfoy' was giving his farewells to his son and thought with the man's pointy and pale features that he looked like he should be in those Hobbit movies his Grandpa Richard loved so much.

"He looks like Legolas with shorter hair," He would tell Lucy later who would laugh lightly in her sweet voice.

'Draco Malfoy' looked up at them, nodded at Uncle Harry before staring at his mother. Her mother did not look away and her tight grip on his wrist was almost to the point of painful. The man looked at him and stared at his bright, Weasley hair before turning away. His mother let out a sigh of relief and then waved as the train began to leave.

* * *

When Rosie's letter arrived later that night, his parents were overjoyed. Another Weasley in Gryffindor, of course. The news of Albus in Slytherin almost made his father choke on a bite of shepherd's pie. The first Weasley ever in Slytherin, that was certainly new.

"Honestly, Ronald," Hugo's mother sighed. "He's not the first Weasley not to be in Gryffindor,"

"Yes, Bill and Fleur's kids are all in _Ravenclaw_. That's still way better than Slytherin."

 _Not Slytherin_ , Hugo chanted to himself. His letter was coming next year and he knew which House he needed to be in.

* * *

Rosie wrote home frequently for the first few weeks of school. She talked about everything from Hogwarts and classes to professors and classmates. She mentioned Albus frequently and the trio of Slytherins in their year he'd befriended. It was _Ronnie Nott this_ and _Gabe Zabini that_ but Albus' best friend had to be _the amazing Scor Malfoy who_ _knew like everything because he was the gods gift to Wizardkind_.

Hugo would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous. He couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts and see everything his family and many relatives talked about. He wanted to meet Albus' friends and see what made them so bloody special. He wanted to know why Albus and Rosie got all starry-eyed about Scorpius Malfoy.

He tried to ask his parents a bit about Malfoy's parents, particularly his father, but his dad would grumble and his mother would close up, keeping herself controlled like a statue uncaring for air. 'Malfoy' wasn't a liked word in his home. There was growing up and letting things go and then there was too much bad blood under the bridge to ignore. Everything was still stained, the rustic scent in the wind.

* * *

In one of his nightmares, the fire is not fire. Its blood and he stood as it rained down from the sky. Scarlet for the masses. He woke up gasping.

His mother was there, eyes old and tired. She wiped at the sweat on his brow with a small towel. "What was it this time?" She asked.

"Blood instead of fire," He told her, closing his eyes and sighing. "Mum. I'm scared of this. Is there…something wrong with me?"

"No," She grasped his chin with sure fingers and made him open his eyes to look at her. "Not you, my Hugo."

"Then why do I dream of such scary things?"

"Fear is natural," Her fingers moved up to touch his brow gently. "Everyone gets scared."

Of fire? Of blood?

 _Of power, stupid boy._

He closed his eyes and swallowed, willing himself to forget the deep rumbling voice. It's clear as day in his ears. Yet he knew only he could hear it. A little secret he had to keep.

* * *

He didn't get to spend too much time with his Muggle grandparents but when he turned eight, his mother would make him come over to Grandpa Richard and Grandma Hélène's house in Heathgate so his grandma could teach him French. His mother learned from her, growing up in a bilingual home where Shakespeare's and Molière's works were quoted readily. Rosie learned from their grandma when she turned eight as well and although she was fluent, her accent was never quite up to par, and she avoided speaking it as a result. Hugo took to it like a bird to flying.

He would have full conversations in French with Grandma Hélène by the age of ten. Her English was nearly perfect except for the light traces of an accent and her substituting French words for English ones here and there. Nearly four decades in England had ensured of this. But she missed speaking her native tongue and Hugo's proficiency made her very proud.

Hugo recited still a bit slowly, " _Albus' best friend is named Malfoy."_

She corrected his pronunciation and then replied, " _Mal foi? That's a French name. Bad faith."_

"Bad faith?" He asked in English.

She chided him to return to French.

" _Sorry. What would 'bad faith' mean_?"

" _I don't know. Maybe they're not good people_."

" _Why would a name dictate if people are good or bad?"_

"Because names have power," His Grandpa Richard entered the room then from the garage where he was fixing up his car, a vintage thing he never drove anymore but insisted on keeping pristine. "Some cultures thought knowing someone's name gave you power over them."

"So, a name can decide your destiny?" Hugo mused. " _M_ _émère_ , are you a Spartan queen?"

"Of course, she is," Grandpa Richard bent down to kiss his wife's cheek even as she glared at his grease-stained hands. "Her beauty could launch a thousand ships."

* * *

Christmas at the Burrow was chaos, as usual. His cousins were all back from Hogwarts so everything was loud and messy and he loved every minute of it. The adults were cramped in the kitchen to finish preparing the food, leaving the younger set alone to torture – _catch up_ with each other. They were all crowded around the couches and chairs, some of them sitting on the rug due to a lack of place to sit except for Louis and Roxanne who were playing a game of Wizard's Chess by the window and Victoire and Teddy who'd disappeared off somewhere.

Knowing that Hugo, Lily and Lucy would be off to Hogwarts next year, James was having a lark and telling them lies about the Sorting Ceremony. "There's a troll that you have fight. If you win, you get in and they sort you in a House by your performance. If you lose, you get killed."

"Trolls?" Molly scoffed. "Why not just tell them that they have to tame a chimaera?"

"Or have a tea party naked with vampires?" Freddie chimed in.

"Or cuddle with a pack of werewolves," Dominique put in.

"Don't be cruel," Rosie cut off their fun. "You're scaring them."

James gave her a mocking smile. "That's what we were trying to do, Rosie,"

Rosie looked flustered and was probably ready to give James a piece of her mind when Albus finally cut in. "It's a hat. It's just an old bloody hat they put on your head and it sorts you into your House."

"A hat?" Lily asked. "How does that work?"

"It can see into your soul or something," Albus shrugged. "Like staring into the heart of the TARDIS, I think."

Freddie threw a couch cushion at him. "Nerd,"

"Nerds are in, class clown," Albus threw the cushion back. "Haven't you watched _Glee_?"

"Snake," Freddie cocked an eyebrow. "Slimy, slithering snake."

Albus tried to do that tongue thing lizards did.

Hugo, having enough of the madness, moved closer to his sister so he could ask the only sane person in the room about the Hat more. She explained as much as she could but even clever Rosie didn't know all the facts about the famed Sorting Hat. He could probably learn more if he asked their mother, he was sure. Rosie was quick to assure him of one thing though.

"It takes your choice into consideration," Rosie tilted her head to the side to motion at Albus. "Just look at old snake-face here."

 _Not Slytherin_ , he chanted to himself. They may have accepted Albus for who he was but would they do the same for Hugo with the muddy hair? He knew better. _No, not Slytherin._

* * *

For New Years', Uncle George outdid himself with the fireworks display outside the Burrow. They were all huddled in their winter coats, watching the lights explode in the sky. There were more people there this time, friends invited to join the celebrations. They started counting down to midnight and Hugo watched his parents kiss each other with the comfort of familiarity.

His aunts and uncles were doing the same. Lily, as she did every year, was kissing her father's cheek who smiled so brightly he could've been one of the fireworks himself. A kiss at Hugo's cheek started him and he stared at Lucy's sweet smile who huddled closer to his side for warmth. He hugged her closer to him to kiss the top of her head and murmured, "Happy New Year, Lucy."

He watched the kaleidoscope of lights reflect off her pale blue eyes.

* * *

Hugo managed to convince his parents that he was too old for birthday parties but somehow wasn't able to escape Grandma Molly's insistence of a 'small birthday lunch'. Which meant everyone who wasn't predisposed by work or school was there at the Burrow with the world's largest birthday cake that could probably feed a small third-world country. While, thankfully, there were no party hats and embarrassing games, there was, however, Grandma Molly suddenly bursting into 'happy tears' as she realized the youngest of her grandchildren were all turning eleven and going off to Hogwarts that year. Empty-Nest Syndrome appeared to be hitting her harder than ever and she insisted that they all spend the night.

Most of the adults were able to leave-off having work and other 'very important things' in the morning but 'the kids' were trapped. 'The kids' being Hugo, Lily, and Lucy respectively. Hugo was too old to bunk with the girls now so he was confined to his dad's old room while Lily and Lucy shared Aunt Ginny's. If Hugo didn't love his grandmother, he would Floo back to his home and own bed but alas.

The amount of sugar he'd consumed would've put anyone not a Weasley into a sugar shock and Hugo stared at the ceiling of the old bedroom, willing himself to fall asleep. It was almost too hot at the Burrow despite it being winter still and he'd foregone the patch-work blanket to the side earlier. The soft creaking of the aged wood made him look up as Lucy tiptoed into the room. She was wearing footsy pajamas that brought out the violet shades in her hair.

"Luce," He greeted lightly as she climbed up the bed to sit cross-legged beside him. "What can I help you with?"

"I couldn't sleep and Lily's already out like the _Nox_ charm," She almost-whispered. "How was your day?"

"I would've preferred to spend it at my house pretending I didn't exist but, well, _Grandma Molly_."

She giggled. "Yes, _Grandma Molly_ , of course."

"I mean I love her but…"

"I know. She can be a bit much." She shrugged. "That's family, I guess."

"Exasperating?" He inquired.

"Among other things," She smiled. "Do you find me exasperating?"

"Maybe." At her shocked expression, he chuckled and reached up to tug her hair lightly. "I'm kidding, Lucy-Goosey."

She wrinkled her nose at the childish nickname but lay down on the bed so they both stared at the ceiling and talked until they fell asleep.

* * *

Uncle Percy was gifted a cat at work, one day, if events could be stranger. It was a silver Egyptian Mau with bright green eyes that Lucy fell in love with immediately. Her father, not much of a cat person, gave it to her as a birthday present and Lucy named her Cleopatra. The cat became friends with Lily's unusual pet bird, Polly, on its second day.

Hugo grimaced as Cleopatra – or _Cleo_ as Lucy would nickname her – rubbed her furry body all over his legs. He was not a fan of cats himself since the only cat he'd ever truly interacted with was his mother's grumpy, old part-kneazle that only finally died two years ago. Cleo was a great deal friendlier compared to old Crooks, though, and followed Hugo around the room like he was catnip. It was very unsettling.

Lucy was tickled pink over this, though. "Cleo likes you,"

"Yes," He glared as the silver cat kept trying to lie down on his lap. He moved closer to Lucy on the couch to evade the feline.

Lucy giggled and picked up Cleo to deposit her pet on her lap. Cleo didn't relent and rested her tail on Hugo's thigh. Hugo glared at the cat. It wasn't small enough to be a kitten but not quite an adult yet and the look in her green eyes told him that she knew exactly what she was doing.

Petting the mischievous feline on her lap with light fingers, Lucy said, "I'm glad you came over, Hugo."

"I wouldn't miss your birthday," He shrugged. "At least you didn't have to spend yours at the Burrow."

"My mum gave an excuse about Molly feeling unwell,"

Hugo saw Molly as he came out of the Floo. His snooty cousin looked absolutely fine to him.

"Mum doesn't really like the family reunions," Lucy revealed almost shyly. "She said she would feel left out because of all the stories."

"And what did your dad say about that?"

It was well-known Uncle Percy couldn't say no to his mother so it was a bit surprising he hadn't let Grandma Molly have her way again and give Lucy a hellish birthday party.

"He's on an unavoidable business trip and won't be back till next week," Lucy winced. "Is it bad I'm not sad he's here because that means I avoid what happened on your birthday?"

"Oh, you mean _that_ awkward nightmare?" He scoffed. " _Nah_. You're a monster."

She punched him in the arm. It didn't hurt a bit and the jostling irritated Cleo who ran off. Hugo laughed at Lucy's sad attempts at violence before handing her a small box. The shock of nervousness that went through him made him antsy.

"For you, Lucy-Goosey,"

She blinked at the small purple box with the golden ribbon. His mum had helped him pick out everything at the mall after he begged – he meant _asked_ – her very nicely if she would accompany him. He'd saved for a couple of months for the present and hoped it wasn't for nothing. He had no clue why it mattered so much to him, however.

She undid the box and opened the box too slowly for his nerves and she smiled brightly at what was inside. He couldn't afford emeralds but settled for a substitute of some far cheaper blue-green crystal. It was almost the exact color of Lucy's eyes and the cheap beads looked pretty against her fair skin.

She hugged him tightly and murmured, "Thank you, Hugo. I love it."

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

* * *

The summer before Hogwarts, Lily invited Hugo and Lucy over at her house for a sleepover. The backyard of the Potters' house in Godric's Hollow was large enough that they'd all lied down on a large beach towel that looked suspiciously like the TARDIS ("Albus will never know we borrowed it") and gazed at the stars. Lucy had an affinity for astronomy and would point out stars and constellations to them as best she could without a telescope.

"That one is Scorpius. See, those stars make up its body and tail and those are its legs," Lucy explained easily. " _That_ is its brightest star, Antares, otherwise known as ' _the heart of the scorpion'_."

" _The heart of the scorpion_ ," Lily smiled. "Sounds poetic."

" _Antares_ is a red supergiant, making it one of the largest and brightest stars in the universe."

"And what about Hugo's Comet?"

" _Halley's Comet_ is a short-period comet visible from earth every seventy five or so," Lucy closed her eyes but didn't stop speaking though the syllables were getting slower, showing her fatigue. "It'll next appear around 2061."

Hugo let out a low-whistle. "Long time."

"It gives us an excuse to stick around,"

Lucy nudged his hand with a finger. He captured her fingers easily and intertwined them with his.

"It's a date then, Luce."

Lily kept quiet, watching them, and not the stars.

* * *

While Lily was quiet in her usual way, Lucy looked like a lost duckling, and was being reassured by her mother. Aunt Audrey was a delicate woman who looked like an older version of Lucy with the wind-chafed skin and pale eyes who hugged her daughter warmly in goodbye. Uncle Percy had patted her hair and whispered something to her than made her smile softly. Molly was already off somewhere along with the older set of their cousins.

Hugo tried to hide how nervous and scared he was but he didn't think he was doing a good job. His dad had ruffled his hair and wished him luck in Gryffindor "because Weasleys are Gryffindors at heart". His mother had hugged him and told him to do his best and that she didn't care what house he was sorted in. None of it mattered to her.

"You're Hugo no matter what," She made him look her in her dark eyes as she said this. "Whether it's in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff-"

"Or Slytherin?" He asked.

"Even then," She kissed his forehead. "Go be brilliant, my Comet Halley."

* * *

Albus took Lily away to sit in a compartment with his friends, who according to Molly always had a reserved one due to the Nott girl's prefect brother. None of his older cousins offered to let them sit with them so he and Lucy ended up sharing one with a few other First Years. Sean Finnegan's and Holly Creevey's parents were both Gryffindor alumni and hoped to follow in tradition. Hugo was trying his hardest to hide how nervous he was about the Sorting and he wondered if this was how Albus felt last year.

Lucy, always seemed to know how he felt, took his hand in hers and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be fine, Hugh."

He tightened his grip on her hand. "I hope you're right."

* * *

This was what happened on the boat ride. Hugo shared a boat with Lucy and Lily, respectively. Lily got to close to the edge of the boat after seeing what she thought was a glimpse of the Giant Squid. Lucy tried to pull her back and chaos ensued.

The three of them, robes dripping, entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to Headmaster Longbottom's surprised expression. They were shivering like little ducks but smiling like idiots. He tried to rub warmth into Lucy's cold hands but it didn't do much good. James got up from the Gryffindor table and put his too-big robe on his sister's shoulder and didn't chide her.

It was Dominique who got up from the Ravenclaw table and cast a drying charm on them. Roxanne asked what happened. Molly called them ridiculous. Freddie just laughed.

He was sorted first among the three. His heart somewhere by his feet as he sat down on a stool and waited. The Hat looked like it was ready to fall apart, a patchwork creature that somehow still hung in there. Every eye in the Great Hall seemed to be on him as the Hat spoke. _So…Slytherin or Ravenclaw?_

"Why would you want to put me in Slytherin?"

 _I see that you want to stick to tradition and I haven't sorted anyone in your family outside of Slytherin before. You'd do well there. Ravenclaw, as well._

"Albus is the first Slytherin in my family."

 _In his family, yes._

"What are you talking about? Weasleys are Gryffindors at heart."

 _And you have a Gryffindor heart, too. You get that from your mother._

"I'm not a Slytherin."

 _Well…if you say so. GRYFFINDOR!_

* * *

 _Set in the same universe as_ "i followed nature's law (as i broke in two)" _and_ "my blood is all i see (as you sail from me)" _. This will hopefully have five or six more chapters. Title comes from the song,_ "smoke and fire" _, by Sabrina Carpenter. Hugo's grandmother, Helene, is based on Isabelle Huppert's performance as Mary Rigby in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. Lucy Weasley's appearance is based on Kacey Rohl who is known for portraying Abigail Hobbs in Hannibal. Lucy's cat, Cleopatra, is named after Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt._


End file.
